Merri Helen Brown

Merri Helen (Wilburn) Brown was born July 26, 1936, at the family home in Garvin County, Oklahoma. She died on May 22nd, 2025 at 88 years of age. Jesus Christ was the center of her life from a young age.

On July 21st, 1955, she was married to Wayne T. Brown in Oceanside, California. They were happily married until his death on March 3rd, 2018. During their 62 years of marriage Merri and Wayne lived in many places. For both of them, God was first.

They built a home filled with love and laughter. While raising their children, she taught them to love and look at God’s creation with joy and wonder. She had no fear of various insects and small animals (lizards, horned toads, frogs), and taught her kids to enjoy them also. She cared about people, cooking up casseroles and baking for church, community, and school functions. She willingly provided home-baked goodies for the child who would look at her and say “Oh, I told my teacher you would send homemade treats for the whole class…tomorrow!” She was an involved parent, knew teachers and administrators by name, volunteering when help was needed. During their retirement she enjoyed visiting family, performing ventriloquist presentations with “Ginger,” and volunteering at the local Senior Center and at community events. She played her piano for many years at Life Care Center before or after dinner. She was compassionate, often sitting beside those who were passing from this life. She was kind-hearted, knew those who provided daily care for her by name, truly caring for each one.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Horace and Odetta Wilburn; her husband, Wayne Brown; her sisters, Roma June Estes, Leela Beth Murphy and LaVella Spencer; her only son, Austin Kent Brown; and her first son-in-law, David Pyle. She is mourned by her daughters, Kaye (Pyle) Robinson (Randal), Kym Parker (Larry), Kerri Brown (Eddie Stevens), Penny Brown (Kent’s wife), and Lois Taylor (John); twelve grandchildren, twenty-two great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild; her sister, Debi Price, and a host of friends and church family.

Merri will be missed: she was greatly loved by so many. God was her bedrock, and to the best of her ability she loved others both in word and in action. The world was a better place for the life she led.